This novel’s language turns me utterly present, each breath and the surface of my skin attuned to the words. It’s a rare piece of writing that gives me this feeling, but in Kwon’s hands, every sentence–down to the syllables and commas–is deliberate, artfully chosen.
The result–which took her ten years–is soaring, exhalant, and musical. One of her characters is a former virtuoso concert pianist, and I can’t help but think reading Kwon is like being overcome by a brilliant piece of music, not one note out of place.
'Absolutely electric . . . Everyone should read this book' GARTH GREENWELL'Every explosive requires a fuse. That's R. O. Kwon's novel, a straight, slow-burning fuse' VIET THANH NGUYEN'In dazzlingly acrobatic prose, R. O. Kwon explores the lines between faith and fanaticism, passion and violence, the rational and the unknowable' CELESTE NG'A sharp, little novel as hard to ignore as a splinter in your eye' WASHINGTON POST'Raw and finely wrought' NEW YORK TIMES'The Incendiaries packs a disruptive charge, and introduces R. O. Kwon as a major talent'…
Set in a 15th-century English village, this deeply immersive novel brings history to vivid, visceral life. Once more, the language is gorgeous from first to last. Narrated by the local priest as he investigates a recent death and possible murder, each paragraph is rich and multi-layered as a poem, full of sensory imagery I’ll never shake. A tender portrait emerges of one complicated man, his equally complex and unforgettable community, and our humanity.
15th century Oakham, in Somerset; a tiny village cut off by a big river with no bridge. When a man is swept away by the river in the early hours of Shrove Saturday, an explanation has to be found: accident, suicide or murder? The village priest, John Reve, is privy to many secrets in his role as confessor. But will he be able to unravel what happened to the victim, Thomas Newman, the wealthiest, most capable and industrious man in the village? And what will happen if he can't?
As a new mom, I barely had time to read this past year, and I still struggle to balance mothering and work with a seemingly endless list of care tasks. I listened to this audiobook, soothed by Davis’s compassionate, non-judgmental take on things like cooking, cleaning, and hygiene in contexts such as post-partum, depression, anxiety, neurodivergence, bereavement, and more.
Davis, a licensed counselor, shifted my perspective on keeping house from moral to functional. For the first time, I was able to view tasks in service of myself and my family, not some perceived (often societal) other, and I began to let go of many layers and years of shame. Freeing, intrinsically motivating, revolutionary!
This is a book for anyone who is looking for an accessible and gentle way to care for their home - and themselves.
KC Davis, therapist and busy mother of two, will introduce you to six life-changing principles to revolutionise the way you approach domestic work, all without a single to-do list. Inside, you'll learn how to stagger tasks to avoid procrastination, soothe stress by setting priorities, set up your space to work for you... and tackle that ever-mounting laundry pile. With KC's help, your home will feel like a sanctuary again.
Sisters Beata and Ulrika are outcasts on their home of Sweden’s Berggrund Island: oppositional, imaginative, and wild. They are obsessed with the lore and legend of the island’s dark past–where generations ago, women stood accused of witchcraft–and their dead mother, about whom their pastor father refuses to speak.
As the girls come of age, straining against the strictures of their community, their rebellions twist and sharpen. When an enigmatic stranger arrives at their door, his presence threatens their family bond and unearths long-buried truths.
A Nordic Gothic laced with the horrors of life in a patriarchy both hostile to and reliant on its women, my book is a story of haunted history, lost lineage, and resilience.
While my daughter isn’t quite old enough to tell me the ins and outs of her favorites, this one is in heavy rotation this summer–the tale of an NYC dog and his owner who escape the heat for an island beach adventure, returning restored. She loves the pictures of taxis, the dog running free on the beach and “going under” (digging in the sand), truly all things dog.
Since we live on an island and spend our days, like this dog, at the beach, much is familiar. She’s mesmerized by the language (today, she kept repeating the line “trains rumble and hum”) and the beautiful, detailed illustrations, especially the lady on the subway eating popcorn.
4
authors picked
Hot Dog
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2023 CALDECOTT MEDAL • This glowing and playful picture book features an overheated—and overwhelmed—pup who finds his calm with some sea, sand, and fresh air. Destined to become a classic!
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews • New York Public Library
“An utter joy from beginning to end!” —Sophie Blackall, two-time Caldecott Medal winner
This hot dog has had enough of summer in the city! Enough of sizzling sidewalks, enough of wailing sirens, enough of people's feet right in…
This book is rhythmic, rhyming, and fast-paced, so much like music that every time I read a certain passage, my daughter, though she was just learning to walk, would spin and dance. It’s a groove. Some of her first words were bug names like “Eyed Click Beetle” and “Buffalo Tree Hopper,” which was delightful for both of us. I think this early love helps soothe her fear of buzzing things.
Grab a magnifying glass and come hop, hide, swim and glide through a buggy undergrowth world!
Featuring insects including butterflies and moths, crickets and cicadas, bumblebees and beetles, this zippy rhyming exploration of backyard-bug behavior is sure to have insect enthusiasts bugging out with excitement!
Perhaps there’s a bug theme? She loves this French snail and interacts with this book along the way–petting his shell, giving him a kiss, roaring on command, and trying to nibble on the carrot in the green salad of the book’s finale. And every time she sees a snail along our walks, she calls it an “escargot.” As a bonus, each time I read the part at the end where Escargot says, “You are very beautiful,” I tear up.
2
authors picked
Escargot
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
Bonjour! Escargot is a beautiful French snail who wants only two things: 1. To be your favourite animal. 2. To get to the delicious salad at the end of the book. But when he gets to the salad, he discovers that there's a carrot in it. And Escargot hates carrots. But when he finally tries one - with a little help from you! - he discovers that it's not so bad after all.
